In recent years, public use of wireless communication devices has increased greatly. Specifically, the purchase and use of cellular telephones has become commonplace.
Cellular telephones are typically either independently powered hand-held units or are mounted in vehicles. Cellular telephones operate within a government defined frequency range. In recent years, cellular telephones have been manufactured with operating features identical to those found in conventional telephones. Such operating features include storage and recall of numbers in memory, voice mail and call blocking.
Furthermore, very recent cellular telephones have become more intelligent, resembling computers in some aspects. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,868,846, issued to Kemppi, a cellular telephone is locked so that it may only be used by a bearer of a specific programming card. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,593, issued to Zicker et al., a system for using a cellular telephone as a credit card paystation is set forth. Additionally, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,965,821, issued to Bishop, an equipment rental system which utilizes a cellular mobile telephone connected to a credit card reader to exchange information required in rental transactions is disclosed. Finally, in Europe, the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) uses a "smart-card". The smart-card contains information regarding the user in memory and serves as the intelligence of a cellular telephone into which the card is inserted.
A product recently sold in the United States is the Newton by Apple Computer Corp. The Newton is one of a line of products called personal digital assistants (PDAs) that have features such as, for example, handwriting capture devices, and fax/modem devices.
The combination of a computer and a cellular telephone is very powerful. For example, the ability to communicate files, electronic mail and voice with other computers or telephones from anywhere is a convenient and useful tool.
Cellular telephones provide this communication path with other telephones and computers through what are called Mobile Telephone Switching Office(s) (MTSO) and cell sites. Each cell site has a transmitter and receiver to provide communications, such as voice and data, with a cellular telephone while that cellular telephone is in its geographic domain. As is familiar to those skilled in the art, the MTSO tracks and switches a cellular telephone from cell site to cell site as it passes through various cell sites. The cell site sends voice and/or data communications from the cellular telephone to the MTSO, which switches the call to a destination in a manner well known to those skilled in the art. The connection between cell sites and a MTSO may be wireless or hard-wired. The plurality of MTSOs and cell sites together form a cellular telecommunications network.
A cellular telephone is monitored, tracked and serviced by the MTSO that controls the cell within which the cellular telephone is physically located. When a cellular telephone physically passes from one cell to another cell, the MTSO for the corresponding cells performs a "hand-off" that allows the cellular telephone to be continually serviced. Likewise, in some cellular telecommunications networks, a cellular telephone can be handed-off when it passes from the domain of a first MTSO into the domain of a second MTSO.
Because of their mobility, devices incorporating cellular telephones must be light and compact. A user needs to be able to comfortably carry the cellular telephone in a pocket, purse or briefcase. To meet these requirements, cellular telephones typically have a minimum number of user input and display output devices. Limitation of user input and display output devices reduces the size and weight of cellular telephones. For example, it is common for a cellular telephone to have only a liquid crystal display (LCD), a numeric keypad, a very limited number of control buttons, such as a clear/end button, a send button and a power button. A personal digital assistant incorporating a cellular telephone might include a touch sensitive or pen-based screen in addition to the above list of user-interface devices.
As can be gathered from the above, cellular telephones are complex and expensive units. The complexity of cellular telephones is reflected in the time and expertise required for initiating operation of a cellular telephone on a cellular telecommunications network. The limited user input and display output devices in cellular telephones preclude the typical end user from programming the cellular telephone.
In the past, the needs to provide a trained individual to initiate operation of the cellular telephone on the cellular telecommunications network, to ensure the credit-worthiness of the user, and to provide the user with options regarding programming and use of the cellular telephone, such as rate and payment plan options, have converged into a single solution. Specifically, a "sales representative" or "customer service representative" was employed to:
(1) gather personal and financial information pertaining to the user, PA1 (2) initiate a credit check on the user, PA1 (3) present and explain options concerning custom call features and enhanced service options, such as call waiting, and rate and payment plans, PA1 (4) accept a deposit from the user, PA1 (5) contact a system administrator in a customer activation center to activate the cellular telephone in the cellular telecommunications network, and PA1 (6) program the cellular telephone or arrange for a technician to program the cellular telephone.
Until now, the sales representative or customer service representative had to quiz the user regarding various personal and financial information, fill out forms regarding the user, send this information to the system administrator for the cellular telecommunications network, await a response from the administrator in the customer activation center (CAC), and program the cellular telephone or arrange for programming of the telephone by a technician.
Typically, the provider of services on the cellular telecommunications network pays a commission to its distribution channels for finding a customer and for performing these tasks. Distribution channels are familiar to those in the cellular industry field, including sales agents, retailers, etc. It typically requires at least thirty minutes for a customer service representative to sign up a new customer and get the cellular telephone activated and programmed. Retailers charge a very large commission for the provision of these services by their employees. Therefore, a large expense incurred in the provision of cellular services to users is directly attributable to commissions paid to customer service representatives.
There has been an attempt to facilitate and expedite the provision of cellular telephones and services to users. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,958,368, issued to Parker, a customer service representative logs onto a system comprising a terminal connected via a standard data communications link to a "regional processor" that is dedicated to activating cellular telephones. The customer service representative enters an ID number and other information necessary to access the system. The customer service representative inputs the user's social security number to a regional processor which derives information about the customer based upon the user's social security number. The central processor then gets credit approval and provides a credit report to the customer service representative. The regional processor then activates a number for the cellular telephone in the cellular telecommunications network. The Parker patent does not address programming the cellular telephone.
However, as set forth in the Parker patent, a trained customer service representative must still be involved in gathering information concerning the user. Furthermore, a dedicated network must be built and maintained to interact with the customer service representative. Finally, the customer service representative or a trained technician must presumably be engaged to program the cellular telephone for operation.
Another patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,109,403, issued to Sutphin, discusses programming certain specific features of a mobile cellular telephone from a MTSO. However, the programming of features disclosed in Sutphin is done after the cellular telephone has been activated on the cellular telecommunications network, and involves only ancillary features to operation such as repertory memory storage and call-in absence indicators controlled by software switches in the cellular telephone.
Thus, despite the above cited advances in cellular telephones and the interactions between the users of cellular telephones and other computers, the prior art does not disclose a way of automating the application for cellular service, programming of a cellular telephone and activating of a cellular telephone on a cellular telecommunications network.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have an apparatus for automating application for cellular service, the sale and programming of cellular telephones and, more specifically, for providing the information necessary for a customer to use a cellular telephone on a cellular telecommunications network to a system administrator without assistance from a sales representative, a customer service representative or a technician.